Canada Bars Gay Organ Donors

[Cocaine]

The Advocate reports:

Canadian transplant programs will no longer harvest organs from the bodies of gay men who were sexually active, according to CBC News.

The new regulation, passed by Health Canada, which technically went into effect in December, excludes men who had sex with men, injection drug users, and other groups they consider high-risk. Many health officials in transplant programs throughout the country were not aware of the new law.

"We have not been informed, first of all, that Health Canada is considering this," Gary Levy, head of Toronto University's transplant program, told CBC News. "Obviously, if Health Canada wishes to discuss that, we would hope they would engage all stakeholders."

The new law also requires that transplant officials must interview family members of the donor during the screening process.

"We'll be asking about things like travel, history of infectious disease, whether [the donors have] been in jail — that puts you at increased risk," Peter Nickerson, director of Transplant Manitoba, said to CBC News. "Have they been an IV drug abuser in the past? Have they had tattoos? There's a whole list of questions we go through," he added, one of them being sexual orientation and activity.

In the past, transplant programs have screened potential donors and in some cases used organs from high-risk individuals. The new regulation halts this practice and prohibits the use of organs from men who had sex with men within the last five years of of their lives.

Levy estimates that the new regulation will mean that seven out of every 100 potential donors will be excluded, while approximately 4,000 Canadians are on organ wait-lists.

Every state in the U.S. has separate organ donation eligibility requirements, and while sexually active gay men cannot donate blood, there are no specific prohibitions for organ donation -- medical suitability is determined at the time of death


What scares me the most is the fact that homosexuals are being lumped in with intravenous drug users.

So thoughts? Thoughts regarding the healthy or political side. I want to hear it all.

[J Rad]

Gay men often participate in unprotected sex. This puts them at a higher risk of HIV/AIDS. This isn't as big of a deal with women because they aren't shooting semen into their partners. You can nit pick it however you want, but they are high risk.

[guitrguy]

they're probably getting lumped to together because of the AIDS stereotype


You don't have to nitpick it, stats show its not an accurate statement.

[Danger Bird]

WHAT.

[Mr. Ron]

um...test the organs for HIV/AIDS then???

[Cocaine]

Gay men often participate in unprotected sex.
Heterosexuals never do this.
This isn't as big of a deal with women because they aren't shooting semen into their partners.
Yeah ignore that, I edited that part out. I wasn't thinking.

[Danger Bird]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080110.wlorgan10/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

[Cocaine]

Well then. That makes this a little redundant, I guess I jumped the gun.

[J Rad]

they're probably getting lumped to together because of the AIDS stereotype


You don't have to nitpick it, stats show its not an accurate statement.

Do some research. Men, no matter what country, hold the higher rate of infection.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/aug/06080305.html

OTTAWA, August 3, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A report released by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) on Monday reveals that nearly a quarter of the estimated 58,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada remain ignorant carriers of the virus. Even more alarming is that women are becoming an increasing percentage of those infected with HIV.

The PHAC report confirms United Nations and World Health Organization findings that HIV/AIDS has increased by over 20% in Canada since 2000, and estimates that 15,000 are unaware they are HIV infected.

According to PHAC, women now make up 20 percent of all infections, a statistic that has risen 6 percent from 2002, when approximately 85 percent of those with HIV were men. According to PHAC estimates, women accounted for 27 percent of last year’s new infections, an increase of 3 percent since 2002.

Ms. Louise Binder, chair of the Canadian Treatment Action Council, who is HIV-positive herself, blames the rise in infections among women on “a lack of negotiating power when it comes to sex” according to a Globe and Mail story.

"We don't have good female-initiated prevention methods. We have a female condom but it's very expensive and not very available, there's no microbicide," said Ms. Binder.

About three quarters of women were infected after having sex with an infected man, while the rest were attributed to injection drug usage according to PHAC.

This report may confirm what researchers at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have separately indicated as a growing link between the sexual activity of bisexual men with women partners and the rise of HIV infections in women.

The PHAC report reveals that 51 per cent of those infected with HIV continue to be men who engage in homosexual activity. Despite the high percentage, however, the Canadian government has continued to resist informing the public of the health risks of homosexual activity, instead pushing homosexuality as a normative and healthy lifestyle.

This past week LifeSiteNews.com reported that organizers of the Homosexual Outgames in Montreal felt that it was necessary to plan for the event by amassing anti-HIV drugs to combat the dramatic increase in extremely high-risk homosexual activity during the event. Nevertheless prime Minister Stephen Harper supported the event by sending a senior government official to represent him at the event in his absence.

Overall, the PHAC estimated 2,300 to 4,500 new HIV infections occurred last year, compared with an approximate 2,100 to 4,000 infections in 2002.

"I wouldn't interpret this data to say the programs [to combat the disease] are not working, but certainly more needs to be done," said Dr. Frank Plummer, director general of the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control. "The number of Canadians living with HIV infection will likely continue to increase in years to come as new infection rates continue and survival rates improve."

Granted I can't verify that most of those are homosexual men. There isn't really any material pushing one way or the other.

[Danger Bird]

Do some research. Men, no matter what country, hold the higher rate of infection.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/aug/06080305.html



Granted I can't verify that most of those are homosexual men. There isn't really any material pushing one way or the other.

Then you have nothing. Why not bar all men from organ donation?

[griftadan]

i think it would just be easier to test the people first

[Against Miik!]

Well this sure seems like a good way to get rid of the gay problem, since the gland that emits gay juice is obviously held in the liver, lungs, and kidneys. Make sense to me. Also, heterosexual people obviously don't carry the types of diseases that could be transmitted through organ donation. Yep, kudos to Canada, ey?

[guitrguy]

Do some research. Men, no matter what country, hold the higher rate of infection.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/aug/06080305.html



Granted I can't verify that most of those are homosexual men. There isn't really any material pushing one way or the other.
I was talking about the gay male stereotype. If you are going to mock me then prove me wrong.

[McP3000]

I was about to laugh my *** if this was true.

Too bad

[Cocaine]

it's at least partially true based on the follow-up.

[GreyHam]

this seems like a step backwards in my eyes...in the UK gay men are barred from being blood donars from old legislation, although it was reexamined and it was decided not to change the law

even though all blood is screened anyway...

[McP3000]

Im glad Canada and the UK are so progressive

hahhaha

[J Rad]

Then you have nothing. Why not bar all men from organ donation?

lmao no

There's no documentation that I've found that shows that they aren't homosexual. You can't form any more of an argument than I can.

[Shell]

I thought gay men were considered more at risk because it was anal sex. Which more and more heterosexual men do anyway...

[gregulus]

Gay men can't donate blood in the US either.

[guitrguy]

lmao no

There's no documentation that I've found that shows that they aren't homosexual. You can't form any more of an argument than I can.

... You're arguing from ignorance.

[McP3000]

Gay men can't donate blood in the US either.
yeah, but we iz facist so we have excuse

[Reaganista]

nobody should be banned regardless of disease if somebody wants an aids infected organ they should be allowed to have it i know i would take one if the alternative was death from organ failure

[Smokey D]

this seems like a step backwards in my eyes...in the UK gay men are barred from being blood donars from old legislation, although it was reexamined and it was decided not to change the law

even though all blood is screened anyway...

I'm not allowed to give blood at all because I lived in England between 1980 and 1992 or something.

[J Rad]

... You're arguing from ignorance.

No, I'm arguing from the middle-ground and an assumption that cannot be proven or disproven because it irritates people who want to be right.

[guitrguy]

No, I'm arguing from the middle-ground and an assumption that cannot be proven or disproven because it irritates people who want to be right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_ignorance


unless it stated otherwise you have no reason to think that gay males are at a higher risk to contract AIDS.

[Danger Bird]

No, I'm arguing from the middle-ground and an assumption that cannot be proven or disproven because it irritates people who want to be right.

And if you can't prove gay men are at a higher risk there should not be any legislation on the matter.

[GreyHam]

I'm not allowed to give blood at all because I lived in England between 1980 and 1992 or something.

an odd turn of events indeed, those were the years where everyone had unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while bathing themselves with HIV infected blood, clearly

hangon, i was born in 87....

best go back to church and pray or something...

[Futue te Ipsum]

Then you have nothing. Why not bar all men from organ donation?Because 90% of them aren't in a high risk group.

You shouldn't assume something is wrong purely because it's not politically correct. The reason it's all absurd is because everything is screened, not because gay men aren't up there with IV drug users on the "risk" scale.

People who have had transfusions are also not allowed to give blood. This is called being consistent. I believe they're too strict, but that's a different matter.

[Futue te Ipsum]

nobody should be banned regardless of disease if somebody wants an aids infected organ they should be allowed to have it i know i would take one if the alternative was death from organ failureIf they're asking for organs then aids is often the least of their problems. From infection to death in treated patients is often longer than the lifespan of people who've had a transplant. I'm not too sure if the sheer size of the organ or the needed immunodepressants would change this too much.

Sadly, in medicine, the current climate wouldn't really accept this. Perhaps they're right, but if I was told I had a few years to live with aids, or a few days without it, I know which one I'd choose.

[Hababi]

If they're asking for organs then aids is often the least of their problems. From infection to death in treated patients is often longer than the lifespan of people who've had a transplant. I'm not too sure if the sheer size of the organ or the needed immunodepressants would change this too much.

Sadly, in medicine, the current climate wouldn't really accept this. Perhaps they're right, but if I was told I had a few years to live with aids, or a few days without it, I know which one I'd choose.

without.

[Reaganista]

zero no need to advertise your retardation in every thread

[-1up!-]

The retardation, this time, comes more from the conservative government. Don't be fooled; Canada can still be labelled a progressive place. This move, from the government, was made in a very... stealthy manner. Quite controversial.

[Valhall]

Gay men can't donate blood in the US either.

Uh, I don't know where you live, but in Arizona they can...they simply have to pass HIV tests first.

[Smokey D]

an odd turn of events indeed, those were the years where everyone had unprotected anal sex with multiple partners while bathing themselves with HIV infected blood, clearly

hangon, i was born in 87....

best go back to church and pray or something...

You guys had sex with cows or something, I think.

[Danger Bird]

Because 90% of them aren't in a high risk group.

You shouldn't assume something is wrong purely because it's not politically correct. The reason it's all absurd is because everything is screened, not because gay men aren't up there with IV drug users on the "risk" scale.

People who have had transfusions are also not allowed to give blood. This is called being consistent. I believe they're too strict, but that's a different matter.

I didn't say gay men aren't statistically more at risk for HIV, I said that the evidence he put forth did not suggest that they do and was totally irrelevant.

[Futue te Ipsum]

I didn't say gay men aren't statistically more at risk for HIV, I said that the evidence he put forth did not suggest that they do and was totally irrelevant.80% of aids sufferers being men does suggest it. Quite heavily too. Admittedly men are (much) more likely to be haemophilliacs and more likely to be IV drug abusers, but that can only account for so much.

The evidence he put forth wasn't irrelevent and was suggestive. He simply didn't put cold statistics on the table.

For jared: http://www.avert.org/usastatg.htm
Seemingly unbiased and says it all. Don't have unprotected sex with gay black haemophilliac IV drug users.

They'll make your penis look small then poo bloody **** all over you.

[Futue te Ipsum]

zero no need to advertise your retardation in every threadapparently if you allow yourself to die it's not suicide.

Wonder if people who couldn't be bothered moving from the train track can use that excuse when at the gates?

[YDtoad]

apparently if you allow yourself to die it's not suicide.

Wonder if people who couldn't be bothered moving from the train track can use that excuse when at the gates?

If they were expected to move from a traintrack to a 40000 ft free fall because it would be a slower death...

[Aklerc]

They must have to screen all the organs anyway so it's silly. And more than likely the man in question will probably be aware of his HIV/AIDS and will be on record. So they probably wouldn't be organ donors in the first place. And yes, they could have HIV and be unaware, but since it's screened anyway it doesn't matter.

And in terms of blood donation, gay men who have had protected anal/oral sex aren't allowed either.

But yeah, banning organs from gay people is silly. If the individual doesn't want gay organs then they can decide for themselves. I'd be distraught if my life depended on a new liver and I couldn't get one because it was already decided for me not to have organs from gay men.

[Reaganista]

If they were expected to move from a traintrack to a 40000 ft free fall because it would be a slower death...

ya it's better than die later than now this is fairly simple

[Knifeboy]

And falling 4000 ft would be waaaaahaay more fun that being hit by a train

[Futue te Ipsum]

If they were expected to move from a traintrack to a 40000 ft free fall because it would be a slower death...I'd do it.

May aswell get an amazing rush before your brains go splat.

[YDtoad]

And falling 4000 ft would be waaaaahaay more fun that being hit by a train

Have you ever had a falling dreams? Those ain't fun.

[Knifeboy]

I think they are, untill I hit the ground

I once had a dream that I was falling down an infinite hole.. It was hilarious

[Dr. Jake Destructo]

Gay men often participate in unprotected sex.

This is disgusting. Do you realize that "NORMAL" heterosexual people don't strap up either? Ever heard of unplanned pregnancy? contraceptive medication which alleviates the need for condoms? Women can get STD's as well.

If this law is passed, then anyone who has had unprotected sex in the past 5 years should not be able to donate. This is so prejudice. Why not make it so that if you ****ed a black guy you can't donate. Or maybe a prostitute(this might actually be legit). Or anyone who has had more than one sexual relationship. This is a slippery slope here...

[Bordello]

I hear hetero people talking about not wearing a condom all the time.

[Futue te Ipsum]

Or maybe a prostitute(this might actually be legit)."IV drug abusers"

covered.

[spitfirejunky]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080110.wlorgan10/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Does not compute.

[Smokey D]

Actually, most places don't allow anyone who's had anal sex to give blood, so I don't see why that'd be different for organs. But the government probably shouldn't assume that all gay men are getting action.

[Charlie Daniels]

Arguing that homosexuals aren't disproportionately highy infected with blood born diseases is rediculous.

The real issue is whether there is any risk from taking organs from such people when there is screening for diseases. I like even if half of the organs from gay people have something infectious in them, that means half of them don't... :-S

[Futue te Ipsum]

Arguing that homosexuals aren't disproportionately highy infected with blood born diseases is rediculous.

The real issue is whether there is any risk from taking organs from such people when there is screening for diseases. I like even if half of the organs from gay people have something infectious in them, that means half of them don't... :-SPerhaps it requires too much faith in the screening process.